AuthorTopic: This is for bass players just starting out... (Read 47004 times)

I am learning to play the bass.... This is a blessing... Thanks "Keys410" Can anyone recommend a particular brand.... Also, I am headed to SamAsh today, what do I buy? I hope I dont sound ignorant... but when I learned to play the drums, I knew what set, and sticks were easy, but I know NOTHING about the bass, just that I want to learn to play... Can anyone help me out?

hey look i am a new best player just getting started and dont really know anything about it what would you advise for me to do in this situation. but on the other hand my brother ddwilkins is awesome on the bass

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the race is not about the strong or the swift. but he who endureth till the end

FROM WIKIPEDIA:In music, a scale is a group of musical notes that provides material for part or all of a musical work. Scales are ordered in pitch or pitch class, with their ordering providing a measure of musical distance............

In many musical circumstances, a specific note of the scale will be chosen as the "tonic"--the central and most stable note of the scale. Relative to a choice of tonic, the notes of a scale are often labeled with numbers recording how many scale steps above the tonic they are. For example, the notes of the C diatonic scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, B) can be labeled {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7}, reflecting the choice of C as tonic. The term "scale degree" refers to these numerical labels. In the C diatonic scale, with C chosen as tonic, C is the first scale degree, D is the second scale degree, and so on.

Where you see "#" that means SHARP. Where you see "b", that means FLAT. A# and Bb are basically the same note. What you call it and how you write it depends on what key you are in.

A KEY is basically a way of telling the musician what NOTES he/she has to select from and how to manage those selections when applying them to a SCALE. Every song has a KEY. Every KEY has a variety of SCALES. In the KEY of C, the notes are C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B

A Major SCALE in the KEY of C would be C, D, E, F, G, A, B. It's a subset of the notes available to you in the KEY of C.

One Minor SCALE in the KEY of C would be C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C. A different subset of the notes available to you in the KEY of C.

OK disregard my first question. I finally figured it out so I guess my question would be, if some one is throwing numbers at you, how do you know which note to play if two notes have the same number? Ex: D-3 and E-3 and C-3.

There's not one answer to this question. It depends on what key you are playing in and how you select your notes for that key. For example, if I am playing the C-Major scale I could play it starting with my middle finger on the 3rd fret of the A string.Then my fingering would be like this...

C: Middle finger - 3rd fret, A-string

D: Pinky finger - 5th fret, A string

E: Index finger - 2nd fret, D string

F: Middle finger - 3rd fret, D string

G: Pinky finger - 5th fret, D string

A: Index finger - 2nd fret, G string

B: Ring finger - 4th fret, G string

C: Pinky finger - 5th fret, G string

This could also easily be played as

C: Pinky finger - 8th fret, E-string

D: Index finger - 5th fret, A string

E: Ring finger - 7th fret, A string

F: Pinky finger - 8th fret, A string

G: Index finger - 5th fret, D string

A: Ring finger - 7th fret, D string

B: Index finger - 4th fret, G string

C: Middle finger - 5th fret, G string

There are even more ways to play the C Major scale if you want to use open strings.

Also if that is the major scale pattern what is the minor scale pattern?

In my original post I detailed ONE way to play a Minor scale. There are several types of Minor scales. I'd have to get into a discussion on Modes to correctly describe them all. Look at my June 18th post, near the end of it and you'll see the note pattern for one type of minor scale.

OK disregard my first question. I finally figured it out so I guess my question would be, if some one is throwing numbers at you, how do you know which note to play if two notes have the same number? Ex: D-3 and E-3 and C-3.

They would not have the same number. If you are in the Key of C, or playing a C Major Chord, the 3 is E.

Now in the example you gave it COULD BE that what they are saying is "the Chord is D, play the 3rd" (which would be F#) and "Chord is E, play the 3rd (G#) and "Chord is C, play the 3rd (E).

*Please note the 1,3,5 are not the fret numbers but the pattern*Also this pattern is for the Major scales

The part highlighted in RED DOES define the fret numbers. The difficulty in transitioning between tab and chord charts is exactly this point of confusion. What do the numbers mean? In this case, the numbers appear to mean fret positions.

Hey Keys, thanks. I just copied the Bass Notes to notepad and printed it. This will help a lot. Just started on the Bass Guitar, I also play standard guitar a little, cornet, Trombone and french horn. But those were years ago. The scales are coming back to me, I remember what my music teacher taught me many years ago for the base cleff.The notes on the lines are E G B D F A which is remembered by Every Good Boy Does Fine Always. The notes in the spaces are remembered by, A C E G or All Cows Eat Grass.Thanks again Happy TrailsPraise God[/size

This information was very useful. I started the bass guitar on Friday and I'm getting far already. To God Be the glory great things He hath done. I think my knowledge come from already playing the piano, for noting and fingering sake, drums, for rhythm sake, and a lot more. Thanks.

This information was very useful. I started the bass guitar on Friday and I'm getting far already. To God Be the glory great things He hath done. I think my knowledge come from already playing the piano, for noting and fingering sake, drums, for rhythm sake, and a lot more. Thanks.

I can contest to that. Im right along with you. Playing other instruments truly helps speeds up the progress.

I have a show on ustream.tv . It's geared towards showing beginners things needed to take their playing to the next level. When I first learned how to play <no one would show me anything so I had to learn on my own. Im not claiming to know everything nor am I claiming to be a beast on bass. I just wanna help anyone who needs it. The show is very informal. I teach some or just answer questions. Come check me out. Follow the link and sign up. Then you can 'follow' my show. Here's the link http://www.ustream.tv/channel/semajbowens